Canceled Star Wars Actress Confirms Return Conversations With Lucasfilm

A canceled Star Wars actress confirmed that she has spoken with Lucasfilm about potentially coming back to the franchise. Star Wars is moving closer to its first theatrical release in seven years while continuing to develop new projects for both the big screen and Disney+. As part of this expansion, one actress who has not been seen in years may have a shot at rejoining the galaxy far, far away.

Former The Mandalorian star Gina Carano shared new comments about potentially returning to reprise her role as Cara Dune. Speaking with The Ariel Helwani Show, Carano revealed that she has had conversations with Lucasfilm President/CCO Dave Filoni and The Mandalorian creator Jon Favreau on a Zoom call, calling the chat "really nice." Noting how the three of them "didn't miss a beat," she noted Favreau asking, "where did we leave off?:"

"I’ve already had a conversation with Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau. We got onto a Zoom call. It was really nice. Dave is taking over as CEO of Star Wars. We didn’t miss a beat. Jon Favreau got on Zoom and was really funny. He was like so; where did we leave off?"

Carano starred in the first two seasons of The Mandalorian as New Republic marshal Cara Dune, originally from Alderaan before joining Mando's team of fighters. 

Following a series of controversial social media posts, Carano was fired from her role on The Mandalorian, which eventually led to her suing Disney and Lucasfilm for wrongful termination and discrimination. This lawsuit was settled in August 2025, and Disney expressed openness to reuniting with Carano and bringing her back for future projects.

The only time Cara Dune was mentioned after Carano's exit was in The Mandalorian Season 3's first episode, when the late Carl Weathers' Greef Karga tells Din Djarin that she was recruited by Special Forces after helping capture Moff Gideon. There, she served as a high-ranking marshal for the New Republic.

While The Mandalorian ended its run on Disney+ after Season 3, the story is now set to continue in The Mandalorian and Grogu, which debuts in theaters on May 22, 2026. As of writing, there are no confirmed plans for Carano to return to the franchise.

How Gina Carano's Return to Star Wars Could Work

Before Carano's exit, she was in line to be the leading character in a Rangers of the New Republic series, which would have been firmly set within the MandoVerse. Cara Dune was confirmed to be the New Republic Marshal for Nevarro in The Mandalorian Season 2, which would have set her up naturally as a key piece of that spin-off show.

Along with her role in that series, Rangers of the New Republic was going to tie directly into other MandoVerse projects like Ahsoka, The Book of Boba Fett, The Mandalorian, and more. 

This all would have culminated in a massive event-style story, which may still mostly come through in The Mandalorian and Grogu. Had Carano not been fired, she may have played a substantial role in this new movie.

Looking forward, while Rangers of the New Republic was shelved after Carano's firing, Lucasfilm may still be able to revive the story and reintegrate it into the greater narrative after The Mandalorian and Grogu. 

Although it could take some time for the formalities to be worked out, the real question is whether both parties are willing to move past Carano's previous actions and whether Carano is open to representing Disney and Lucasfilm in a manner that works best for all involved.